Self and john milled ge



(No Model.)

L. WILDHAGBN. HAME FASTENER.

No. 434,967. Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LOUIS IVILDHAGEN, OF BAILEYS HARBOR, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HIM- SELFAND JOHN MILLIDGE, OF SAME PLACE.

HAM E-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,967', dated August26, 1890. Application led December 2, 1889.` Serial No. 332,276. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS WILDHAGEN, of Baileys Harbor, in the county ofDoor and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvedllame-Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention is an improvement in the class of haine-fasteners which areadapted for adjustment in length and for detachable connection with thehames.

The features of the improvement are as hereinafter described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side view of the hame-fastener, with parts extended andattached to the lower ends of a pair of hames. Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe hams-fastener, an extensible portion being shown in dotted lines.Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the haine-fastener. Fig. 4 is anenlarged detached sectional view of a coupling-latch hook, duplicates ofwhich are used to attach the ends of the device to a pair of hames. Fig.5 is an enlarged perspective view of a detached coupling-latch hook, andFig. 6 is a transverse section of the hainefastener, taken on the line 66 in Fig. 2.

One main portion of the hame-fastener consists of a shackle-bar A, whichis made extensible by constructing it in two pieces a a. These piecesare similarly curved and adapted to have sliding connection with eachother by providing the piece a with hooking or inwardly-inclined flangesa2 on its edges that are parallel, between which flanges the maleportion a is slid, thus affording a dovetail engagement for these piecesthat prevents lateral displacement. On the male piece'a a hook b isformed, which curves downwardly, having its terminal b enlarged androunded to produce ears for a hinge-joint thereon, which ears arecompleted lby longitudinally slotting the hook through its body near thecenter of width.

A curved leaf-spring c is located in the slot of the hook b, conformingin shape thereto, one end being secured to the hook at c', the

` vent it from displacement.

other having engagement with the shoulder o2, formed on the latch-toe(l, which is pivoted at its end d to the ears b. The springt is expandedwhen introduced and bears forcibly upon the shoulder c2, which will rockthe latch-toe d, so that an integral flange cl2 will engage its adjacentshoulder d3 with the upper surface of the hooks b n.

The portion a of the shackle-barA is perforated at e for the receptionof the lockingpin e', which is diametrically enlarged at e2, forming ahead therefor that seats upon the exterior surface of the portion a whenthe pin is depressed by contact therewith'of the leafspring e3, which isfastened by its opposite end to the shackle-bar, the upper or headportion e2 of the locking-pin e being slotted to receive the free end ofthe leaf-spring and pre- A guard-hook e4, which projects from theshackle-bar in alignment with the spring e2 near its free end, serves tolimit the vertical movement of the locking-pin e', when it is disengagedfrom the Inale piece a of the shackle-bar.

A series of spaced indentations or socketholes e are formed in the malepiece a of the shackle bar A, which are longitudinally aligned andadapted to register with thelocking-pin e when the two portions of theshackle-bar are adjusted so as to permit this. By the provision justdescribed the length of the shackle-bar can be altered to suit thedesired separation afforded to the lower ends of hames it connects.

On the female portion a of the shackle-bar Athe hook h is formed orsecured near the end of the same oppositely to the guard-hook e4 that itis aligned with, its hook-lip h extending toward said guard-hook. (SeeFig. l.)

The shoe-piece B, which forms the other main portion of thehaine-fastener, consists of a piece channeled throughout its length,with the exception of a curved cap-plate i, that is integrally formedwith the other part, which latter is an arched trunk having parallelwalls that are shaped on their free edges to lie closely upon theportion a of the shacklebar A.

On the end of the shoe-piece B which is opposite to the cap-plate c'parallel lugs t" are produced on its walls by cutting away theyconnecting-arch that joins said walls and shaping the detached portionsso as to aiord suitable supports for a transverse pin 7c, which can beseated in the hook h, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A straddle-loop m is pivoted at its ends m to the side walls of theshoe-piece B, whichV tightly against the shackle-bar A.

Upon the loop m a coupling-latch hook n is loosely secured, so that itmay vibrate freely thereon, said hook being constructed to duplicate inform and operation the hook b, whereby secure latching-connections areprovided for the hame-fastener at each end thereof, which willautomatically lock fast to the ordinary looped ends of harness-hames Cwhen applied thereto in an obvious manner.

Owing to the peculiar manner of pivoting the straddle-loop m on theshoe-piece B and its position relatively to the point of hookedconnection effected between the shoe-piece andshackle-barA, when theparts are adj usted as shown in Fig. 1, the hooks b and n being attachedto the lower ends of the haines C, a swinging movement of the shoe-pieceon its pin k will convert it into a lever having toggle-joints, thusenabling an operator to forcibly draw the separated hooked ends of thehame-fasten er toward each other until the edges of the shoe-piece andpoints of pivotal connection of the straddle-loop therewith are abovethe pivot-point k, which will lock the parts securely owing to theslightly-elastic nature of the collar upon which the haines are located.

Any desired adjustment for length may be eected by means of theextensible shacklebar A.

v The device is constructed mainly of malleable iron or low-grade steel,and can therefore be produced very cheaply.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hame-fastener, the combination, with the shoe-piece B, thepivoted straddleloop m, its latch-hook n, the two sliding portionscomposing the body of the shackle-bar, the same having terminal hooksand one ot said portions provided with perforations e, of thelocking-pin e', having an open slot in its head, and the leaf-spring e3,attached to one of the shackle-bars and its free end resting in the slotof said head, as shown and described.

2. In a haine-fastener, the combination, with the shoe-piece B, thepivoted straddleloop m, its latch-hook n, and the two sliding portionscomposing the body of the shacklebar, the saine having terminal hooksandv one of them provided with perforations e and the other with theguard-hook c4, located on itsl under side, of the locking-pin e, havinga slotted head and arranged in vertical alignment with the aforesaidhook, and the leafspring e3, attached to one of the shackle-bars and itsfree end resting in the slot of said head, as shown and described.

3. In a hame-fastener, the combination,l

with an extensible shackle-bar composed of two sliding portions that canbe locked at' different points by a pin-and-sooket connection, and acoupling-hook having a springactuated latch-toe, of an arched shoe-piecewhich is pivotally engaged with a projecting hook formed on theextensible shackle-bar, a straddle-loop pivoted at the ends of its limbsto the walls of the shoe-piece near one endy of said shoe-piece and outof line with its hooked connection on the straddle-bar, and acoupling-latch hook that mates the hook on the shackle-bar and isloosely attached to the cross-bar of the straddle-loop, substantially asset forth. y v

LOUIS WILDHAGEN.

` Witnessesz Trios. W. MCCULLOUGH,

EDWARD WESTFALL.

